Jazz breaking news: Acid Jazz guitar star Ronny Jordan dies aged 51

Guitarist Ronny Jordan, widely credited for bringing jazz guitar briefly back to a pop and dance audience as part of the early-1990s Acid Jazz scene with his signature take on Miles Davis’ ‘So What’, has died aged 51. His death was confirmed by his brother and sister Rickey and Denise Jordan who set up a tribute page on Facebook saying:

“Dear Friends, Family and Well Wishers – It is with our deep regret that Ronny Jordan has recently passed away. We are still coming to terms with the loss of our brother. We are taking steps to manage Ronny's personal affairs and so we ask if you could kindly bear with us as we deal with his matters in the background. We appreciate that Ronny has got many fans around the world and so we ask that you keep an eye out for further announcements in relation to his funeral arrangements. In the meantime, tributes to Ronny can be left on this Facebook page. Thank you for your patience and understanding. With every blessings and love – Rickey and Denise, Brother and Sister, 14 January 2014”

Born in London in 1962, Ronny Jordan first come to prominence with his 1992 Island Records debut, The Antidote, which contained his propulsive take on Davis’ classic composition, ‘So What’, from Kind Of Blue – Jordan single handedly put the sound of Wes Montgomery, Grant Green and George Benson back on the map, giving the tune a hard-swinging backbeat groove.

Jordan was one of the few British jazz artists on a major label at the time, alongside Courtney Pine and Andy Sheppard, who were all signed to Island Records’ Antilles imprint. The guitarist was also prominently featured on Guru’s Jazzmatazz Vol.1 that, prior to such projects as Nuyorican Soul, brought jazz back to the dancefloor adding hip-hop beats to the instrumental mix with Jordan performing alongside such US names as Donald Byrd, Branford Marsalis, Roy Ayers and Lonnie Liston Smith.

Jordan’s recording career continued with three more albums; Quiet Revolution (1993), Light to Dark (1996) and Brighter Day (2000) while he also worked with the likes of Mos Def, DJ Krush, Pieces Of A Dream and Jonathan Butler and remained a popular live performer at festivals and jazz clubs around the world. Jazzwise sends our deepest sympathies to Ronny Jordan’s family and friends.